New this week: 'The Handmaidโs Tale' and 'Goodnight Mommy'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include albums from Little Big Town and Marcus Mumford, โThe Handmaidโs Taleโ returns with high stakes for the future of Gilead, and twin brothers go to their motherโs house for a stay but find something is off about her in the film โGoodnight Mommy.โ.
Ex-โCheerโ star Jerry Harris gets 12 years for seeking photos, sex
A federal judge has sentenced Jerry Harris, a former star of the Netflix documentary series โCheer,โ to 12 years in prison for coercing teenage boys to send him obscene photos and videos of themselves and soliciting sex from minors at cheerleading competitions.
Celebrities go online to voice support for Ukraine
A group of inter-generational stars from film, TV, sports and music โ including Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman, Elton John and Jon Bon Jovi, Jonas Brothers and Billie Eilish โ have signed up for a social media campaign to show support for Ukraine.
H-E-B donates $1 million to Texas food banks to help those in need after winter storm
HOUSTON โ H-E-B is going above and beyond to make sure Texans have food on their table by donating $1 million to food banks across Texas. According to a news release, working directly with food banks affiliated with Feeding Texas, H-E-Bโs donation will support 18 food banks throughout the state. So far, the Texas grocery chain has donated 23 truckloads of food and $100,000 in Meal Simple meals to food banks, per the release. H-E-B also responded to the ongoing water crisis in Texas by partnering with Zen Water and Florida-based Publix, who each donated 10 truckloads of water to Texas food banks this week. All donations will support Texas food banks with Feeding Texas.
Mattress Mack to discuss winter storm recovery efforts on โEllenโ
HOUSTON โ Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres sat down Wednesday to meet with Jim โMattress Mackโ McIngvale virtually about his efforts to give back to Houstonians during last weekโs Texas winter storm, including opening both Gallery Furniture locations as warming shelters. We have a saying here at Gallery Furniture that we have a responsibility for the well-being of the community,โ McIngvale said. At the end of his interview, DeGeneres wanted to help his GoFundMe page hit his goal of $50,000 to help winter storm victims. Over 700 Houstonians called Gallery Furniture a place of shelter and over 4,000 meals were delivered thanks to Mattress Mack, DeGeneres said during her show. This wasnโt the first time the Gallery Furniture owner opened his stores to those in need.
Megan Thee Stallion teams up with Ellen DeGeneres to surprise frontline nurse in Houston with $50K
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2019, file photo, Megan Thee Stallion attends Variety's Hitmakers Brunch in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)HOUSTON โ Megan Thee Stallion teamed up with Ellen DeGeneres to surprise one of her deserving fans who works as a travel nurse on the show. Last July, Jamelmenique Hoy temporarily relocated to Houston to help treat coronavirus patients as the city continued to experience an outbreak of new cases. Megan Thee Stallion, who is currently pursuing a bachelorโs degree at Texas Southern University, connected with her fanโs story and wanted to help. With the help of โThe Ellen DeGeneres Showโ and Shutterfly, Megan surprised the Hoy with $50,000 to help pay off her student loans.
Golden Globes to honor legendary TV producer Norman Lear
The Golden Globes will bestow the Carol Burnett Award to Lear during the 78th annual awards ceremony next month. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)LOS ANGELES โ Norman Lear made his mark as a television producer who strived to explore race relation issues through his famed sitcoms โAll in the Familyโ and โGood Times.โ And now, the Golden Globes will honor Lear with its TV special achievement trophy. Nominations for the upcoming Golden Globes are scheduled to be announced Feb. 3. As a social activist, Lear founded advocacy organization People for the American Way. He also founded several other non-profits to promote thoughtful citizenship, including the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication.
โCheerโ star Jerry Harris indicted on new child sex charges
CHICAGO โ โCheerโ star Jerry Harris, already facing federal child pornography charges, has been indicted on new charges that allege he solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and convinced teenage boys to send him obscene photographs and videos of themselves. The new seven-count indictment that was made public on Friday was not unexpected. Harris, 21, of Naperville, has been held in a federal detention facility without bond since he was arrested on child pornography charges in September, and a judge has subsequently suggested that Harris would pose a public danger if released from custody. Harris' attorneys have not yet spoken about the new charges but an arraignment was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Harris, who was born in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale and raised in nearby Bolingbrook, was the breakout star of the Emmy-winning docuseries that follows the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
Ellen DeGeneres has COVID-19: These are the celebrities she reportedly saw prior to positive test
HOUSTON โ Television host Ellen DeGeneres said on social media Thursday that she has tested positive for COVID-19. DeGeneres said she is โfeeling fineโ and that she has notified those who have been in close contact with her. TMZ.com noted that she had Justin Bieber, Bryan Cranston, Diane Keaton, Alison Brie and Lil Nas X in her studio in the last week. She added in her social media post on Twitter that she would see everyone after the holidays.
DeGeneres: Positive test for coronavirus but 'feeling fine'
LOS ANGELES โ Ellen DeGeneres says she has tested positive for COVID-19 but is โfeeling fine right now.โProduction on her daytime talk show has been paused until January, producer Telepictures said in a statement that followed DeGeneres' Thursday announcement. Please stay healthy and safe,โ DeGeneres said in her post. Reruns of โThe Ellen DeGeneres Showโ were to air starting Thursday. When the coronavirus outbreak hit in March, DeGeneres shifted to taping without a studio audience, as did other talk shows. When the series began its 18th season in September, her show added fans virtually into the seats, then said it would allow a few dozen people into the studio.
How two blind brothers became Two Blind Brothers for a cause
Brothers, Bryan, left, and Bradford Manning, laugh as they tell the origin story of their clothing company, Two Blind Brothers, in their New York City loft on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Thatโs the question posed by two New York brothers whoโve lost much of their vision to a rare degenerative eye disorder and have dedicated their lives โ and livelihoods โ to raising money for a cure. Bradford Manning, 35, and his 30-year-old brother, Bryan, are the founders of the clothing brand Two Blind Brothers. With advice from friends in the fashion industry, two blind brothers became Two Blind Brothers. Brad was diagnosed at 7 after their mother, a nurse, found a doctor who determined that Stargardt disease was the cause of his declining vision.
Judge Judy to move her gavel to streaming service IMDb TV
FILE - Judge Judy Sheindlin arrives at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on May 5, 2019. Sheindlin, whose long-running syndicated courtroom show Judge Judy will end production in 2021, will be dispensing justice on an exclusive show in the U.S. for IMDb TV. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Everyone's going to streaming, including Judge Judy. The broadcast television staple's next act will be with IMDb TV, Amazon's free digital service. When Sheindlin announced her eventual departure from โJudge Judyโ on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, she also said another show was ahead.
'Masked Singer' begets 'Masked Dancer,' set for December
LOS ANGELES โ Fox's hit series โThe Masked Singerโ is getting company with โThe Masked Dancer,โ a chance for celebrity contestants to show off their moves in disguise. Actor and comedian Craig Robinson ("The Office," โHot Tub Time Machineโ) will host the series, with Ken Jeong, Paula Abdul, Brian Austin Green and Ashley Tisdale as panelists. Filming has begun on the series, which will debut in December, Fox said. โThe Masked Singer," based on a South Korean TV show and an instant hit when it debuted in January 2019, has featured T-Pain, Wayne Brady and Kandi Burruss among its winning contestants. Jeong is among the show's panelists.
Ellen DeGeneres makes on-air apology, vows a 'new chapter'
โThe Ellen DeGeneres Showโ started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the first time in months after taping from DeGeneresโs home during quarantine. There wasnโt a studio audience but a virtual one, with faces beamed in on monitors put in the audience seats. โWe have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future," she said. In her monologue, DeGeneres dryly joked that her summer was โsuper-terrific.โThe host also addressed the allegations that the off-camera DeGeneres is very different than her sunny on-air persona. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected,โ DeGeneres said in her monologue.
'Cheer' star Jerry Harris arrested on child porn charges
Harris did not respond for comment from USA Today, and attempts by The Associated Press to find a phone number for Harris have not been successful. Besides accusing Harris of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit alleges that cheer organizations failed to protect the boys. A Varsity official in Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas said the organization had learned of โinappropriate sexual conductโ allegations against Harris, USA TODAY reported. Cheer Athletics owner Angela Rogers told the newspaper that Harris hasnโt been affiliated with the gym since March 1. Rogers told the newspaper that she learned of the allegations against him in mid-May and reported them to police.
Lawsuit: โCheerโ star Jerry Harris sexually solicited minors
The lawsuit filed Monday in Texas against Harris and three cheer organizations says the boys' mother reported Harris to the FBI last month. The boysโ mother told USA TODAY that both boys have spoken to the FBI. Harris, who has not been criminally charged, did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. In addition to accusing Harris of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit accuses cheer organizations of failing to protect the boys. The lawsuit says the boysโ mother reported Harris to USASF, Varsity and Cheer Athletics.
DeGeneres vows candor as clouded talk show charts its return
LOS ANGELES Ellen DeGeneres says she'll be ready to talk when her daytime show returns this month after a staff shake-up prompted by allegations of a toxic workplace. And, yes, were gonna talk about it, DeGeneres said in a statement announcing the show's Sept. 21 start of its 18th season. Tiffany Haddish will join DeGeneres for the kick-off episode, with The Ellen DeGeneres Show to be taped at Warner Bros. minus an in-studio audience, which is commonplace during the pandemic. Stephen tWitch Boss, a longtime guest DJ on the show and among those who have publicly supported DeGeneres, will guest host some fall episodes. Last month, three of the show's producers exited amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks.
5 Things to Know for Today
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. BIDEN, TRUMP RUN VASTLY DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS The Democratic challenger is emphasizing guidelines supported by local health officials during the pandemic while the president is railing against restrictions that he argues are politically motivated. WINDS POSE WILDFIRE THREATS IN CALIFORNIA Wildfires rage unchecked throughout the state, and gusty Diablo and Santa Ana winds could drive flames into new ferocity, authorities warn. HEALTHCARE WORKERS HIT HARD IN INDONESIA The tribulations are similar to other medical professionals globally: long shifts, hospitals filled to capacity and a lack of resources like personal protective equipment. ELLEN DEGENERES SAYS SHELL BE READY TO TALK The popular daytime talk show host returns this month after a staff shake-up prompted by allegations of a toxic workplace.
WATCH: Former Barbers Hill student, who was told he had to cut his dreadlocks, gifted $20,000 from Alicia Keys on Ellen show
MONT BELVIEU, Texas โ Alicia Keys surprised a Houston-area student with $20,000 for โstanding up for what is rightโ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. โI want to tell you that I couldnโt believe the story when I heard it,โ Keys said on the show. โIโm super proud of you for standing up for what you know is right. Arnold, who has since withdrawn from the Barbers Hill, said he was given two options: in-school suspension or alternative school. They deserve to see me walk across the stage.โDeGeneres and Keys hope the school changes their mind.
Chrissy Teigen honored at Baby2Baby gala
Kate Hudson arrives at the 2019 Baby2Baby Gala on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, in Culver City, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)CULVER CITY, CA โ Chrissy Teigen said she felt honored to receive an award at the Baby2Baby Gala, but her acceptance speech wasn't all about her achievement: "No kid should go hungry. "I feel honored to be honored," Teigen said. Legend praised Teigen for being an advocate for children through Baby2Baby. The nonprofit organization looks for high-profile celebs to highlight their mission of helping provide basic necessities to children living in poverty. Teigen said she and Legend have tried to instill the importance of giving to the less fortunate in their young children, Luna and Miles.